EAU CLAIRE, Wis.- UW-Oshkosh women's basketball kept rolling on Wednesday night (Jan. 8), defeating UW-Eau Claire, 67-53, at the Blugolds' new Sonnentag Event Center in its first road game of the WIAC schedule.
 
The Titans, who are currently ranked fourth in the nation by D3hoops.com and eighth by the Women's Basketball Coaches Association, moved to 13-0 overall and 2-0 in conference play while the Blugolds dropped to 6-7 and 1-1 respectively.
 
UW-Oshkosh shot 50 percent (25-of-50) from the field in the contest, adding nine 3-pointers, and eight free throws. The Titans recorded 22 rebounds (six offensive) against the Blugolds' 30 (11 offensive) while leading 15 to 14 in assists, five to one in blocks, and 11 to four in steals. 28 of their points came in the paint, 29 off turnovers, and 16 off the bench.
 
Alex Rondorf (Gr. • West Bend) was Oshkosh's top scorer with 15 points. She shot 5-of-8 on the night, all from beyond the arc. Kayce Vaile (Fifth • Greendale) followed with 13 points on 5-of-8 from the field and 3-of-3 from the line while Sarah Hardwick (Jr. • Green Bay) registered team-high marks of six rebounds, four assists, three blocks, and four steals to go with her eight points.
 
The Titans responded to an opening three from Eau Claire with 11 consecutive points, seven of which came from Kate Huml (Jr. • Janesville) on a 3-pointer and a pair of jump shots. Eau Claire climbed back to an 18-15 deficit with 3:29 left in the first quarter before Mahra Wieman (Jr. • Sparta) and Paige Seckar (Fr. • Oshkosh) combined for the final six points of the period for a 24-15 Titan edge.
 
Vaile pushed Oshkosh's lead to 13 points with two layups to open the second quarter. Three straight 3-pointers and a jumper for the Blugolds cut Oshkosh's lead to two points past midway through the quarter, however Avery Poole (Jr. • Cottage Grove) started a 10-2 run for the Titans over the last 3:17, heading into halftime with a 40-30 lead.
 
The WIAC foes traded baskets to open the second half. The Titans were the first team to string more than a basket together, going up 50-34 by 3:14. Sammi Beyer (So. • Appleton) began the spurt with a three and rounded it out with a free throw after Seckar made a layup. UW-Oshkosh led, 55-41, with a quarter to play as Beyer stole the ball with two seconds remaining.
 
Vaile scored all three points of an and-1 layup to open the final period. Eau Claire responded with seven points, making the score 58-48 with 7:35 to go. Two free throws each for Vaile and Huml pushed UW-Oshkosh's lead to 67-52 and the Blugolds made one of two free throws for the final point of the game. Hardwick sealed the score with a steal with 10 seconds on the clock and the Titans dribbled out their 13th consecutive win.
 
The Titans return home on Saturday (Jan. 11) to host UW-Platteville (7-6, 1-1 WIAC) at 3 p.m.